Product Safety Recall Notice
Mon, Mar 15 2010 3:14 pm Written by: Scott Thayer
A few weeks ago we became aware that our carbon fork does not meet our expectation for product safety. We have seen a couple forks begin to crack around the steerer tube and one had the steerer tube separate entirely from the fork legs. Thankfully, the rider was not seriously injured when the separation occurred.

We’ve conducted 3rd party testing and have concluded that the problem we’re seeing is the fork was designed to be stiff so that under braking, the legs would not wander around creating a noodly fork feel. An unanticipated by-product of this leg stiffness is that the fork legs aren’t moving at all during regular braking and in turn, all of the braking force is passed up to the crown. These forces are over time will lead to potential failure.

We are in the process of contacting all of the bike shops that have purchased forks, or Hylands with the forks installed. The dealers will be working to contact all of the consumers that have purchased Hyland bikes or Hyland carbon forks. 100% of the Civia carbon forks are affected by this recall.

If you own a Hyland that has a carbon fork, or have purchased the Civia Carbon fork, please contact your dealer for information about how to go about obtaining a replacement Civia steel fork. We are also extending a credit to the consumer through the bike shop as compensation for the change in value from carbon to steel. For more details of the recall, please contact the dealer you purchased your Hyland or carbon fork from.

Beginning now, all Hyland complete bikes are coming with Civia steel forks. Pricing has been adjusted accordingly so that now Alfine builds are retailing for $1,575 and Rohloff builds for $3,250.

Thanks for your understanding as we go through this.

Scott
Civia General Manager
scott@civiacycles.com
952-229-5040

We’re trying something new.. For the next however-many weeks, if this works, we’ll be auctioning off one bike spec’d by a staff member as his dream bike. The starting bid is a low $2000, for a bike that’s worth over $4,000. Anything over $3,800 goes to SmileTrain.

Lots of lugs, shining silver, beautiful big-tire Bombadil. A mountain-tour-trail-commute bike that can adapt to almost anything rough, and will surely be leading an active life under somebody (maybe you if you’re in your twenties) in half a century..

INDIANAPOLIS – The North American Handmade Bicycle Show Inc., owner of the world’s leading custom bicycles show, has signed a one-year title sponsorship deal with Shimano American Corporation., the world’s leading bicycle components manufacturer. The correct title of the event is now: Shimano North American Handmade Bicycle Show.

NAHBS founder and show director, Don Walker, said, “Shimano has long been an industry leader, and I am thrilled to have them come on board as the title sponsor of NAHBS! Shimano’s involvement with NAHBS started at our San Jose show in 2006, and they are one of two major players that have been with us consistently since then. Their dedication to innovation and their support of the independent framebuilder is second to none. I couldn’t be happier that they wanted to step up their involvement. I hope this relationship will continue to blossom for years to come!”

Having been involved either as an exhibitor and lower-level sponsor of NAHBS for many years, Shimano recognizes the value in supporting the steadily growing handmade community through this show. NAHBS has served as a contact point for input and feeback from the myriad framebuilders – both commercial and hobbyists – who attend the show. Shimano welcomed the opportunity to step up to the role of leading sponsor.

LONDON, 18 February 2010: Karbon Kinetics Ltd. (KKL), producer of the award-winning electric two-wheeler Gocycle(R), announced today the launch of Gocycle Black — a new, non-electric-powered model produced in limited quantities for the year 2010, finished in a matt black colour and offered at a suggested retail price of £995.

Designed to appeal to urban cyclists who commute to work primarily for fitness, Gocycle Black comes without the standard electric Gocycle EmpowerPack(TM) (motor, battery and charger) and weighs 12.2 kg. Gocycle Black also features a steeper head angle to provide sportier handling over the standard Gocycle.

As an option, Gocycle Black customers can purchase the EmpowerPack at any time to upgrade the model with electric power.

According to Richard Thorpe, KKL’s founder and design engineer, “We have designed the Gocycle product platform for performance commuting. At the heart of this is our focus on superior pedal drive-train efficiency, rider ergonomics, and ease of free-wheeling, which are performance factors fundamental to Gocycle Black. Gocycle Black customers ride fast and don’t mind breaking a sweat on their way to work, so on-demand electric power is not a priority for them. The 4kg saved in weight and the £500 lower price point are a bonus.”

Thorpe continued, “When purchased through a salary sacrifice scheme or KKL’s Gocycle-to-Work™ scheme, Gocycle Black at a £995 retail price offers commuters the maximum possible tax savings.”

Gocycle Black comes standard with all of the award-winning design innovations of the standard Gocycle, such as the PitstopWheel(R) for quick and easy repair of flat tyres, Vgonomic(TM) adjustment for excellent rider ergonomics, and the fully-sealed Cleandrive(R) drivetrain, which keeps the rider’s clothing clean. Gocycle Black also features the same Magflow(R) lightweight injection moulded magnesium frame as the standard Gocycle.

Gocycle Black is available for purchase online at www.gocycleblack.com with delivery throughout the European Union. MSRP £995 (incl. VAT).

Joe Bike is here to help you live better by biking more and driving less. Whether you’re carrying kids, cargo, groceries, or all of the above, our lineup is designed to get you there with a smile, a stronger body, and a healthier world. The revolution will not be motorized!

Here’s some photos of a prototype pedal we’ve been working on. This isn’t the final version, but it’s getting real close. So far it’s about the same dimensions as an MKS pedal just a lot thinner and a lot lighter. Each pedal only weighs 3.6 oz! That’s half the weight of an MKS pedal and they’re sealed. These pedals are extruded and CNC’d to exact tolerances. We’re pretty excited about them and have been riding them to make sure they work and feel right. Stay tuned for updates on the final version.

Recumbent & Tandem Rider Magazine is pleased to present the first annual Recumbent Cycle-Con Trade Show and Convention, an all new event designed specifically for the recumbent bicycle industry. Industry-Only Hours will provide time for recumbent cycle and accessory manufacturers, dealers and distributors to conduct business together. Public Hours will provide opportunity for excited recumbent enthusiasts and the interested public to see and test-ride bikes right on the grounds of the Pomona Fairplex.

Velo Orange and VO Imports will donate 10% of our gross sales over the next 48 hours to the Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontière) Hatian relief effort. As you must know, Haiti is by far the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and they just suffered a devastating earthquake. Hospitals, schools, parliament, and many government buildings, as well as thousands of homes, have been utterly destroyed. Death tolls can only be estimated, but figures of 50,000 to 100,000 have been reported in the media.

I just recieved the following from Mike Vanderscheuren at Minnehaha:

“Chris — we’d like to partner and we’d step up with 10% donation on any Minnehaha gear sold through VO Imports and through the VO direct to consumer store.”

Thanks Mike!

So a total of 20% of any sales of Minnehaha bags will go to Doctors Without Borders.

Ten percent of receipts on Thurs and Fri will be donated to Haiti relief. You can read about this on the Velo Orange site, too. Chris there proposed it to me–VO’s doing it, too, and it’s a good idea. If you don’t know Velo-Orange, you should. On the surface they may appear to be competitors, and at the most basic level, at a business-discussion level, I guess there’s no denying that they are. But they’re also friends, and they’re pointed in the same general direction we are, and let me tell you, folks– it’s good to have more companies, more people, going in that direction. It’s not like the racing world isn’t ten times huger as it is; it’s not like this movement, or whatever you might call it, has a full head of steam. More really is merrier, so go to Velo-Orange.com and whip out your credit card.